Electronic device for processing image and image processing method thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an electronic device including a memory and a processor electrically connected with the memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to control the electronic device to: obtain information about a maximum value of brightness of image content based on metadata of the image content, to perform tone mapping on at least one or more frames corresponding to a preview image of the image content based on the information about the maximum value of the brightness, and to output the preview image based on the at least one or more frames on which the tone mapping is performed, on a display device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0019199, filed on Feb. 19,2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a technology that allows an electronic deviceto process image data.

2. Description of Related Art

As display devices with various performances are being supplied, variousformats of image content are being provided. For example, high dynamicrange (HDR) content for displaying an image as if a person perceives atarget through his/her eyes by dividing a contrast more finely comparedwith conventional standard dynamic range (SDR) content is beingprovided. Also, as the performance of an electronic device is improved,devices capable of generating or editing dynamic range content are beinggradually supplied.

In the case where a format of image content that a display deviceintends to display is a format that the display device does not support,the display device fails to display the image content normally. Forexample, in the case where a brightness range of HDR content exceeds theperformance of the display device or the display device does not supportan output of the HDR content, a color or grayscale of an original imagemay be distorted. In this case, an image that is different from an imageintended in creating image content may be output through the displaydevice.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an example aspect of the disclosure is toaddress a problem in which a quality-degraded image is generated ordisplayed when an electronic device generates or displays an imageassociated with image content.

In accordance with an example aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice may include a memory, and a processor electrically connected withthe memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed, causethe processor to control the electronic device to: obtain informationabout a maximum value of brightness of image content based on metadataof the image content, perform tone mapping on at least one framecorresponding to a preview image of the image content based on theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness, and output thepreview image based on the at least one frame on which the tone mappingis performed on a display device.

In accordance with another example aspect of the disclosure, a methodmay include obtaining information about a maximum value of brightness ofimage content based on metadata of the image content, performing tonemapping on at least one frame corresponding to a preview image of theimage content based on the information about the maximum value of thebrightness, and generating the preview image based on the at least oneframe on which the tone mapping is performed.

In accordance with another example aspect of the disclosure, a storagemedium may store a program that, when executed, causes an electronicdevice to obtain information about a maximum value of brightness ofimage content based on metadata of the image content, to determinewhether a state of the electronic device satisfies a specified outputcondition associated with an output of a preview image of the imagecontent, to perform tone mapping on at least one frame corresponding tothe preview image of the image content based on the information aboutthe maximum value of the brightness based on the state of the electronicdevice not satisfying the specified output condition associated with theoutput of the preview image of the image content, and to generate thepreview image based on the at least one frame on which the tone mappingis performed.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various example embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic device in anetwork environment, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example structure of anelectronic device and an example configuration of a system masteringimage content and providing a result of the mastering to an electronicdevice, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which an electronicdevice displays a screen including a thumbnail according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an example user interfacethat allows an electronic device to generate an image associated withimage content according to various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen including animage for editing or searching for image content at an electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device generates a preview image, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of converting anHDR image into an SDR image, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device decides a normalizing factor for tone mapping andnormalizes image content, according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device generates a preview image based on tone mapping,according to various embodiments.

With regard to description of drawings, similar components may bereferred to using similar reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various example embodiments of the disclosure will bedescribed with reference to accompanying drawings. Accordingly, those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that various modifications,equivalents, and/or alternatives on the various example embodimentsdescribed herein can be variously made without departing from the scopeand spirit of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic device 101in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referringto FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-rangewireless communication network). According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 viathe server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input device 150, a soundoutput device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensormodule 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180,a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module190, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 orthe camera module 180) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to an example embodiment, as at least part of the dataprocessing or computation, the processor 120 may load a command or datareceived from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or thecommunication module 190) in a volatile memory 132, process the commandor the data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting datain a non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit(CPU) or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123(e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor(ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) thatis operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the mainprocessor 121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, orto be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 maybe implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronicdevice 102) (e.g., speaker of headphone) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly coupled with the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an example embodiment, the powermanagement module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, forexample, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device 104 via the firstnetwork 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such asBluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared dataassociation (IrDA)) or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-rangecommunication network, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or acomputer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These varioustypes of communication modules may be implemented as a single component(e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g.,multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module192 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in acommunication network, such as the first network 198 or the secondnetwork 199, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identificationmodule 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 mayinclude a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antennaappropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 from theplurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmittedor received between the communication module 190 and the externalelectronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to anembodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integratedcircuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionallyformed as part of the antenna module 197.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the external electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a sametype as, or a different type, from the electronic device 101. Accordingto an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at theelectronic device 101 may be executed at one or more of the externalelectronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, when the electronicdevice 101 should perform a function or a service automatically, or inresponse to a request from a user or another device, the electronicdevice 101, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or theservice, may request the one or more external electronic devices toperform at least part of the function or the service. The one or moreexternal electronic devices receiving the request may perform the atleast part of the function or the service requested, or an additionalfunction or an additional service related to the request, and transferan outcome of the performing to the electronic device 101. Theelectronic device 101 may provide the outcome, with or without furtherprocessing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request.To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-servercomputing technology may be used, for example.

Below, an example embodiment in which image content is high dynamicrange (HDR) content will be described as a representative non-limitingexample of image content.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example structure of anelectronic device 200 and an example configuration of a system masteringimage content and providing a result of the mastering to the electronicdevice 200, according to various embodiments.

According to an embodiment, image content may be created by an imagecontent creation system 10 that may be provided, for example, at astudio. For example, in the case of the HDR content, an image processor(e.g., including image processing circuitry) 12 may process sensor imagephotographed through a camera 11 and may generate an HDR image. Thegenerated HDR image may be displayed through a display 13 capable ofdisplaying the HDR image. A user of the image content creation system 10may identify the HDR image displayed on the display 13. When it isdetermined that it is necessary to adjust the HDR image, the user thatidentifies the HDR image may adjust the camera 11 or may adjust the HDRimage. Accordingly, in the case of the HDR image generated by the imagecontent creation system 10, the probability that an HDR image isgenerated within the limit of image reproduction of the display 13 ishigh. For example, in the case where the maximum brightness (orluminance) of the display 13 is 10000 nit, the HDR image generated bythe image content creation system 10 may be an image, of which a maximumbrightness value is 10000 nit.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may include aprocessor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 220 (e.g., theprocessor 120 of FIG. 1), a memory 230 (e.g., the memory 130 of FIG. 1),and a display device (e.g., including a display) 260 (e.g., the displaydevice 160 of FIG. 1). The processor 220 may include various processingcircuitry and execute instructions stored in the memory 230 to processdata or to control the electronic device 200 and/or various componentsthereof. An operation of an electronic device or a processor disclosedin the disclosure may be performed when the processor executes aninstruction stored in a memory.

The electronic device 200 may be provided with image content created bythe image content creation system 10. The processor 220 may reproducethe provided image content and may output an image included in the imagecontent through the display device 260. However, in the case where theelectronic device 200 fails to support a maximum brightness value of theimage content, the image content may not be output normally. Forexample, in the case where image content is HDR content with the maximumbrightness of 1000 nit or in the case where the display device 260 is astandard dynamic range (SDR) display device having the maximumbrightness of 100 nit, the electronic device 200 may fail to normallyoutput the image content due to a limitation on an expressiblebrightness value. The standard dynamic range that is a contrast to theHDR in concept may refer, for example, to a format of an image, of whicha dynamic range is small compared to the HDR. For another example, eventhough the display device 260 is an HDR display device in which amaximum brightness value is equal to or greater than a maximumbrightness value of the image content, in the case where an operatingmode of the electronic device 200 is set to an SDR operating mode thatdoes not support the reproduction of the HDR content, the HDR contentmay not be reproduced normally. The above are merely examples, and itwill be understood that the disclosure is not limited to these specificexamples.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may generate animage associated with the image content. For example, in the case wherean event that the generation of a preview image of the image content isrequired occurs, the processor 220 may generate the preview image of theimage content. An example of the event that the generation of thepreview image is required occurs will be described in greater detailbelow with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

However, even though the preview image is generated using a frame(s) orthe like included in the image content, in the case where the electronicdevice 200 fails to support the maximum brightness value of the imagecontent, the image content may not be output normally. According to anembodiment, the processor 220 may generate an image (e.g., a previewimage) of the image content based on a result of performing tone mappingon the frame(s) of the image content to a range that the electronicdevice 200 is capable of expressing. In the case where the image contentincludes an HDR image and the display device 260 of the electronicdevice 200 is an SDR display device, the generated preview image may bea standard dynamic range image that is obtained by converting HDR imageof the frame(s) (e.g., a frame corresponding to the preview image) ofthe image content.

To perform the tone mapping, the processor 220 may need to decide (e.g.,determine) a maximum value of the brightness of the image content and amaximum value of the brightness capable of being expressed by thedisplay device 260. According to an embodiment, the processor 220 mayobtain information about the maximum value of the brightness of theimage content based on metadata of the image content. The processor 220may obtain information about the maximum value of the brightness capableof being expressed by the display device 260 from a setting value of theelectronic device 200 or device information of the display device 260,etc.

According to an embodiment, the processor 220 may perform the tonemapping on the image content based on the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness of the image content. The processor 220 mayoutput a preview image, obtained by converting at least one frame of theimage content based on a result of performing the tone mapping, on thedisplay device 260. The processor 220 may output the preview imagethrough another device (e.g., the electronic device 102 of FIG. 1 or theelectronic device 104). In the disclosure, in general, the “tone mappingon image content” may include, for example, and without limitation, anappropriate one of tone mapping on one of frames of the image content,tone mapping on a plurality of frames of the frames of the imagecontent, tone mapping on all the frames of the image content, or thelike. For example, in the case of generating a thumbnail image of an HDRimage (or video), the tone mapping may be performed on one sheet offrame corresponding to the thumbnail image from among the frames of theimage content. In the case where an edit program to edit an HDR video isexecuted or a program (e.g., a video player program) to provide aplurality of thumbnails with regard to one HDR video is executed, thetone mapping may be performed for each frame to be output through thedisplay device 260. An example in which the tone mapping is performed onall frames of an HDR image is not excluded from the disclosure.

Also, according to another embodiment, the image content creation system10 may be included in the electronic device 200. For example, theelectronic device 200 may create or edit image content. In this case,the display 13 may be included in the display device 260, and the imageprocessor 120 may be implemented using the memory 230 and the processor220.

According to another embodiment, even though image content is providedthrough another device, the electronic device 200 may generate a previewimage of the image content. For example, even though image content isprovided through, for example, an instant messenger (IM) service, theelectronic device 200 may generate a preview image of the image content,which is appropriate to output at the electronic device 200. Forexample, the electronic device 200 may be provided with image contentfrom another device (e.g., the electronic device 104 of FIG. 1) througha server (e.g., the server 108 of FIG. 1) that provides the IM service.For another example, even in the case of copying image content into theelectronic device 200 from an external device (e.g., the electronicdevice 102 of FIG. 1) through a P2P connection, a cable, or the like,the electronic device 200 may generate a preview image appropriate tooutput at the electronic device 200. For another example, even in thecase of downloading image content uploaded onto a cloud drive, theelectronic device 200 may generate a preview image appropriate to outputat the electronic device 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice 200 displays a screen including a thumbnail according to variousembodiments.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may photograph animage or may download image content, and may execute an application(e.g., a gallery application) displaying a list of images. Theelectronic device 200 may output a screen 300 including the list ofimages through a display device (e.g., the display device 260 of FIG.2), as an execution result of the application. In the case of enteringthe image list screen 300, the electronic device 200 may recognize thatan event that the generation of a preview image of image content isrequired occurs.

The electronic device 200 may generate a thumbnail image 301 of theimage content and may include the thumbnail image 301 in the screen 300.However, in the case of outputting, as the thumbnail image 301, an imagethat is not appropriately tone mapped, the thumbnail image 301 that isdisplayed by the electronic device 200 may be output in a state where animage quality is degraded, for example, in a state where grayscale islost or in a state where a color is differently expressed. In the casewhere the generation of a thumbnail image is not supported (e.g., in thecase where an electronic device does not support to generate a thumbnailimage of an HDR image), a default image 302 (e.g., an icon indicating avideo or an image indicating a file format such as mp4 or avi) or anempty box may be displayed. In other words, a thumbnail image may not bedisplayed normally.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface thatallows the electronic device 200 to generate an image associated withimage content according to various embodiments.

The electronic device 200 may output a screen 400 reproducing imagecontent through a display device (e.g., the display device 260 of FIG.2). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may output auser interface 401 for receiving a user input to generate a still imageobtained by capturing a frame of image content being played. Accordingto an embodiment, in the case where the electronic device 200 receives auser input to select the user interface 401, the electronic device 200may recognize that an event that the generation of a preview image ofimage content is required occurs. However, FIG. 4 is merely an example,and the electronic device 200 may receive a user input to capture imagecontent through another way (e.g., an input through a physical button ora gesture input), not a user interface displayed on a display device.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may output a userinterface 402 for generating a GIF file using a plurality of frames ofimage content. According to an embodiment, in the case where theelectronic device 200 receives a user input to select the user interface402, the electronic device 200 may recognize that an event that thegeneration of a preview image of image content is required occurs.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen including animage for editing or searching for image content at the electronicdevice 200 according to various embodiments.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may display asearch bar 501 in which at least some frames included in image contentare listed in the order of time, as an execution result of an editapplication for editing image content or a player application forreproducing image content. According to an embodiment, in the case wherean electronic device 200 executes the edit application or the playerapplication or in the case where the electronic device 200 enters ascreen displaying the search bar 501 including preview images accordingto a timeline of images, the electronic device 200 may recognize that anevent that the generation of a preview image of image content isrequired occurs.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 100 of FIG. 1 or theelectronic device 200 of FIG. 2) generates a preview image, according tovarious embodiments.

In operation 610, an electronic device may determine whether an eventrequiring generation of an image associated with image content occurs.

In operation 620, the electronic device may determine whether the imagecontent satisfies an output condition of the electronic device. Forexample, in the case where a display device of the electronic device isan SDR display device, the electronic device may determine whether theimage content is an HDR image, through, for example, a PQ value includedin metadata of the image content. When the image content is the HDRimage, the electronic device may determine that the image content doesnot satisfy the output condition. According to another embodiment, inthe case where the image content is the HDR image and the electronicdevice does not operate in an operating mode to support an output of theHDR image, the electronic device may determine that the image contentdoes not satisfy the output condition.

For another example, the electronic device may obtain information abouta maximum value of the brightness of the image content from the metadataof the image content and may determine whether the image contentsatisfies the output condition, based on the maximum value of thebrightness thus obtained. For example, the electronic device may obtaina value (hereinafter referred to, for example, as a “maximum masteringdisplay brightness value”) of “Max_Mastering_Display_Luminance”associated with a maximally expressible brightness value of a display(e.g., the display 13 of FIG. 2) used when mastering image data or a“MaxCLL” value indicating a maximum content light level (CLL) of animage included in the image content from the metadata of the imagecontent. When the obtained value is greater than a maximum brightnessvalue that the display device of the electronic device has or supports,the electronic device may determine that the output is not satisfied.

For another example, the electronic device may obtain the informationabout the maximum value of the brightness of the image content based ona result of analyzing an image and may determine whether the imagecontent satisfies the output condition, based on the maximum value ofthe brightness thus obtained.

When the image content satisfies the output condition, in operation 635,the electronic device may generate a frame of the image content as apreview image. According to an embodiment, the preview image may begenerated without a need to perform a separate tone mapping operation inoperation 635.

When the image content does not satisfy the output condition, inoperation 630, the electronic device may obtain the information aboutthe maximum value of the brightness of the image content. However,depending on an embodiment, operation 630 may be included in operation620 in the case of obtaining the information about the maximum value ofthe brightness of the image content in operation 620.

In operation 640, the electronic device may perform tone mapping on atleast one or more frames corresponding, for example, to the previewimage, of the image content based on the maximum value of the brightnessthus obtained. In operation 650, the electronic device may generate atone mapped image as a preview image based on a result of the tonemapping.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of converting anHDR image into an SDR image, according to various embodiments.

When image content includes an HDR image 710, an electronic device maydecode the HDR image 710 using, for example, a 10-bit decoder 720 inoperation 720. The electronic device may obtain metadata of the imagecontent as a result of performing the decoding.

The electronic device may perform color space conversion 730 on thedecoded HDR image 710. For example, an Y′Cb′Cr′ color space of the HDRimage may be converted into an R′G′B′ color space.

The electronic device may perform operation 740, in which a pixel valueof an HDR format is converted into a pixel value of an SDR format. Inoperation 740, the electronic device may perform tone mapping for thepurpose of performing the conversion procedure. To perform the tonemapping, the electronic device may use metadata of image data.

The electronic device may perform color space conversion 750 on theimage content converted into the SDR format. The electronic device mayencode a result of the color space conversion 750 thus performed and mayoutput an SDR image 770. However, an 8-bit encoder 760 relates to anexample embodiment; according to another example embodiment, the resultof the color space conversion 750 may be encoded to a 10-bit image witha narrow gamut.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device decides (e.g., determines) a normalizing factor fortone mapping and normalizes image content, according to variousembodiments. For example, the process illustrated in FIG. 8 may beincluded in at least one of operation 630 or operation 640.

In operation 810, an electronic device may obtain information about amaximum value of brightness from metadata. For example, the electronicdevice may obtain a maximum mastering display brightness valueassociated with a maximally expressible brightness value of a display(e.g., the display 13 of FIG. 2) used when mastering image data or a“MaxCLL” value indicating a maximum content light level (CLL) of animage included in image content from metadata of the image content.

In operation 820, the electronic device may determine whether theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness obtained from themetadata satisfies a reliability condition. The reliability conditionmay refer, for example, to a condition for determining whether theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness is reliableinformation. For example, the reliability condition may define that themaximum mastering display brightness value and the maximum content lightlevel are identical in value and have a value being not “0”. In the casewhere the maximum mastering display brightness value is a valuedifferent from the maximum content light level, a maximum brightnessvalue for content of the metadata included in the image content whengenerating the content may not be accurate. In this case, thus, theelectronic device may determine whether the information about themaximum value of the brightness does not satisfy the reliabilitycondition.

When the information about the maximum value of the brightness obtainedfrom the metadata satisfies the reliability condition, in operation 825,the electronic device may decide a normalizing factor based on themaximum value of the brightness obtained from the metadata.

When the information about the maximum value of the brightness obtainedfrom the metadata does not satisfy the reliability condition, inoperation 830, the electronic device may sample pixels of a frameincluded in the image content. According to an embodiment, operation 830may be performed based on a system situation of the electronic device.For example, in the case where a memory of the electronic device isinsufficient, computational burden is great, or a power is insufficient,the electronic device may sample some of the pixels of the frame.According to another embodiment, operation 830 may be omitted, and allthe pixels of the frame may be analyzed in operation 840.

In operation 840, the electronic device may analyze the sampled pixels.For example, the electronic device may decide a maximum value of a pixelvalue (e.g., a “Y” or RGB value) according to a color space of theframe. For another example, the electronic device may analyze ahistogram of the pixel value depending on the color space of the frame.According to an embodiment, the electronic device may obtain theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness of the imagecontent, as a result of analyzing pixels.

In operation 850, the electronic device may decide a normalizing factorbased on a result of the analysis.

When the normalizing factor is decided, in operation 860, the electronicdevice may perform a normalization operation on at least one frame ofthe image content using the decided normalizing factor.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which anelectronic device generates a preview image based on tone mapping,according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, theprocess illustrated in FIG. 9 may be executed when an electronic deviceperforms an operation (e.g., operation 740 of FIG. 7) in which a pixelvalue of an HDR format is converted into a pixel value of an SDR format.

In operation 910, the electronic device may perform electro-opticaltransfer function (EOTF) conversion on image content 901 using an EOTF.For example, referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device may convertimage content expressed by a 10-bit RGB value “R₁′G₁′B₁′ [0,1023]_(Gamut1)” of a range from 0 to 1023 into an RGB value “R₁G₁B₁ [0,10000.0]_(Gamut1)” expressed by a brightness value of a range from 0 to10000.

In operation 920, the electronic device may perform normalization andclipping on the EOTF-converted image content based on a normalizingfactor 902 (e.g., a normalizing factor decided as a result of performingoperation 825 or operation 850 of FIG. 8). For example, referring toFIG. 9, the electronic device may normalize the RGB value “R₁G₁B₁ [0,10000.0]_(Gamut1)” expressed by the brightness value of the range from 0to 10000 to an RGB value “R₁G₁B₁ [0, 1.0]_(Gamut1)” expressed by a valueof a range from 0 to 1 based on the normalizing factor.

In operation 930, the electronic device may perform gamut mapping on thenormalized RGB value. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the electronicdevice may map the normalized RGB value (e.g., “R₁G₁B₁ [0,1.0]_(Gamut1)”) onto an RGB value (e.g., “R₂G₂B₂ [0, 1.0]_(Gamut1)”)mapping a gamut. In operation 940, the electronic device may performtone mapping. For example, referring to FIG. 9, a tone mapped RGB value(e.g., “R₃G₃B₃ [0, 1.0]_(Gamut1)”) may be decided based on a maximumbrightness value of a display device (e.g., the display device 260 ofFIG. 2) of the electronic device and a maximum brightness value of theimage content 901.

In operation 950, the electronic device may perform opto-electrictransfer function (OETF) conversion on the tone mapped RGB value usingan OETF and may generate a preview image 903 of an SDR format. Forexample, referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device may convert the tonemapped RGB value (e.g., “R₃G₃B₃ [0, 1.0]_(Gamut1)”) into a 8-bit RGBvalue (e.g., “R₃′G₃′B₃′ [0, 255]_(Gamut1)”).

According to an example embodiment, an electronic device may include amemory, and a processor electrically connected with the memory. Thememory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processorto control the electronic device to: obtain information about a maximumvalue of brightness of image content based on metadata of the imagecontent, perform tone mapping on at least one frame corresponding to apreview image of the image content based on the information about themaximum value of the brightness, and output the preview image based onthe at least one frame on which the tone mapping is performed on adisplay device.

According to an example embodiment, the image content may include a highdynamic range image, and the preview image may include a standarddynamic range image.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to obtain theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness based on a stateof the electronic device not satisfying a specified output conditionassociated with an output of the preview image of the image content, andthe state of the electronic device that does not satisfy the specifiedoutput condition may include at least one of a the electronic device notsupporting an output of a high dynamic range format or the electronicdevice not operating in an operating mode to support the output of thehigh dynamic range format.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to normalize the atleast one frame of the image content using the maximum value of thebrightness as a normalizing factor based on the information about themaximum value of the brightness satisfying a specified reliabilitycondition.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to: decide (e.g.,determine) a normalizing factor based on a result of analyzing pixelvalues of a frame of the image content based on the information aboutthe maximum value of the brightness not satisfying a specifiedreliability condition, and normalize the at least one frame of the imagecontent using the normalizing factor.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to: decide a samplepixel sampled from pixels of the frame, and decide the normalizingfactor based on a result of analyzing the sample pixel.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to decide thenormalizing factor based on a result of analyzing a maximum value of a“Y” value or an RGB value of pixels of the frame or a histogram of the“Y” value or the RGB value.

According to an example embodiment, the instructions, when executed, maycause the processor to control the electronic device to store thedecided normalizing factor in a user area of the memory in the form ofmetadata.

According to an example embodiment, the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness may include a maximum mastering displaybrightness value of a display used to master the image content and amaximum content light level of an image included in the image content.

According to an example embodiment, the specified reliability conditionmay include a condition that the maximum mastering display brightnessvalue and the content light level are identical in value and are not 0.

According to an example embodiment, the processor may control theelectronic device to: perform the tone mapping based on at least one ofgenerating a thumbnail image of the image content, there being a changedlocation where the image content is stored, displaying an image forediting the image content on the display device, a still image capturecommand for the image content being received, an edit application forediting the image content being executed, or a command for changing theimage content into another file format being received.

According to another example embodiment, a preview image generatingmethod of an electronic device may include: obtaining information abouta maximum value of brightness of image content based on metadata of theimage content, performing tone mapping on at least one framecorresponding to a preview image of the image content based on theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness, and generatingthe preview image based on the at least one frame on which the tonemapping is performed.

According to an example embodiment, the image content may include a highdynamic range image, and the preview image includes a standard dynamicrange image.

According to an example embodiment, the performing of the tone mappingmay include determining whether a state of the electronic devicesatisfies a specified output condition associated with an output of thepreview image of the image content, and performing the tone mappingbased on the state of the electronic device not satisfying a specifiedoutput condition associated with an output of the preview image, andbased on the electronic device not satisfying the specified outputcondition may include at least one of a the electronic device notsupporting an output of a high dynamic range format or the electronicdevice not operating in an operating mode to support the output of thehigh dynamic range format.

According to an example embodiment, the performing of the tone mappingmay include determining whether the information about the maximum valueof the brightness satisfies a specified reliability condition, decidinga normalizing factor based on a result of analyzing pixel values of aframe of the image content based on the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness not satisfying the specified reliabilitycondition, and normalizing the at least one frame of the image contentusing the normalizing factor.

According to an example embodiment, the deciding of the normalizingfactor may include sampling pixels of the frame, and deciding thenormalizing factor based on a result of analyzing the sampled pixels.

According to an example embodiment, the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness may include a maximum mastering displaybrightness value of a display used to master the image content and amaximum content light level of an image included in the image content.

According to an example embodiment, the specified reliability conditionmay include a condition that the maximum mastering display brightnessvalue and the content light level are identical in value and are not 0.

According to an example embodiment, the performing of the tone mappingmay include normalizing the at least one frame of the image contentusing a normalizing factor stored in a memory of the electronic devicebased on the normalizing factor being included in metadata stored in auser area of the memory.

According to an example embodiment, the performing of the tone mappingmay be made to generate a thumbnail image of the image content, based onat least one of: there being a changed location where the image contentis stored, displaying an image for editing the image content on thedisplay device, a still image capture command for the image contentbeing received, an edit application for editing the image content beingexecuted, or a command for changing the image content into another fileformat being received.

An electronic device according to various example embodiments may be oneof various types of electronic devices. The electronic devices mayinclude, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., asmartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portablemedical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance.According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices arenot limited to those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is tobe understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an itemmay include one or more of the things, unless the relevant contextclearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “Aor B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, orC,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” mayinclude any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumeratedtogether in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, suchterms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simplydistinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limitthe components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to beunderstood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to,with or without the term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupledwith,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element(e.g., a second element), the element may be coupled with the otherelement directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the “non-transitory” storage medium is a tangible device, and may notinclude a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does notdifferentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in thestorage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storagemedium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

An electronic device according to various example embodiments of thedisclosure may generate or display an image, the quality of which is notdegraded.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with referenceto various example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure,including the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a memory; and aprocessor electrically connected with the memory, wherein the memorystores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to controlthe electronic device to: obtain information about a maximum value ofbrightness of image content based on metadata of the image content;perform tone mapping on at least one frame corresponding to a previewimage of the image content based on the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness; and output the preview image based on the atleast one frame on which the tone mapping is performed, on a displaydevice.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the image contentincludes a high dynamic range image, and the preview image includes astandard dynamic range image.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2,wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to controlthe electronic device to: obtain the information about the maximum valueof the brightness based on a state of the electronic device notsatisfying a specified output condition associated with an output of thepreview image of the image content, wherein the state of the electronicdevice that does not satisfy the specified output condition includes atleast one of the electronic device not supporting an output of a highdynamic range format or the electronic device not operating in anoperating mode supporting the output of the high dynamic range format.4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted, cause the processor to control the electronic device to:normalize the at least one frame of the image content using the maximumvalue of the brightness as a normalizing factor based on the informationabout the maximum value of the brightness satisfying a specifiedreliability condition.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause the processor to control theelectronic device to: determine a normalizing factor based on a resultof analyzing pixel values of a frame of the image content, based on theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness not satisfying aspecified reliability condition; and normalize the at least one frame ofthe image content using the normalizing factor.
 6. The electronic deviceof claim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processorto control the electronic device to: determine a sample pixel sampledfrom pixels of the frame; and determine the normalizing factor based ona result of analyzing the sample pixel.
 7. The electronic device ofclaim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor tocontrol the electronic device to: determine the normalizing factor basedon a result of analyzing a maximum value of a luminance (Y) value or ared green blue (RGB) value of pixels of the frame or a histogram of theY value or the RGB value.
 8. The electronic device of claim 5, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the processor to control theelectronic device to: store the determined normalizing factor in a userarea of the memory in the form of metadata.
 9. The electronic device ofclaim 5, wherein the information about the maximum value of thebrightness includes a maximum mastering display brightness value of adisplay used to master the image content and a maximum content lightlevel of an image included in the image content.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 9, wherein the specified reliability condition includesa condition that the maximum mastering display brightness value and thecontent light level are identical in value and are not zero.
 11. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured tocontrol the electronic device to: perform the tone mapping to generate athumbnail image of the image content, based on at least one of: therebeing a changed location where the image content is stored, displayingan image for editing the image content on the display device, a stillimage capture command for the image content being received, an editapplication for editing the image content being executed, or a commandfor changing the image content into another file format being received.12. A preview image generating method of an electronic device, themethod comprising: obtaining information about a maximum value ofbrightness of image content based on metadata of the image content;performing tone mapping on at least one frame corresponding to a previewimage of the image content based on the information about the maximumvalue of the brightness; and generating the preview image based on theat least one frame on which the tone mapping is performed.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the image content includes a high dynamicrange image, and the preview image includes a standard dynamic rangeimage.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the performing of the tonemapping includes: determining whether a state of the electronic devicesatisfies a specified output condition associated with an output of thepreview image of the image content; and performing the tone mappingbased on the state of the electronic device not satisfying a specifiedoutput condition associated with an output of the preview image, andwherein the electronic device not satisfying the specified outputcondition includes at least one of: the electronic device not supportingan output of a high dynamic range format or the electronic device notoperating in an operating mode supporting the output of the high dynamicrange format.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of thetone mapping includes: determining whether the information about themaximum value of the brightness satisfies a specified reliabilitycondition; determining a normalizing factor based on a result ofanalyzing pixel values of a frame of the image content based on theinformation about the maximum value of the brightness not satisfying thespecified reliability condition; and normalizing the at least one frameof the image content using the normalizing factor.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the determining of the normalizing factor includes:sampling pixels of the frame; and determining the normalizing factorbased on a result of analyzing the sampled pixels.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the information about the maximum value of thebrightness includes a maximum mastering display brightness value of adisplay used to master the image content and a maximum content lightlevel of an image included in the image content.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein the specified reliability condition includes a conditionthat the maximum mastering display brightness value and the contentlight level are identical in value and are not zero.
 19. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the performing of the tone mapping includes:normalizing the at least one frame of the image content using anormalizing factor stored in a memory of the electronic device based onthe normalizing factor being included in metadata stored in a user areaof the memory.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of thetone mapping is based on at least one of: generating a thumbnail imageof the image content, there being a change in location where the imagecontent is stored, displaying an image for editing the image content onthe display device, a still image capture command for the image contentbeing received, an edit application for editing the image content beingexecuted, or a command for changing the image content into another fileformat being received.